Will Howard Dean win the South?

LeNie Adolphson
Having my say

Howard Dean made a comment last week in which he stated, "I still want to be a candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pick-up trucks. We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross section of Democrats." Immediately after Dean made these remarks, he was castigated as pandering to racist and glorifying the Confederate flag. Dean later admitted he spoke without thinking and apologized for appearing to support the rebel flag.

Yet, in the midst of the attacks against Dean, he identified a serious problem that Democrats have: Democrats are going to have difficulty winning the South. Yet, Howard Dean is up against tough odds. Apparently he doesn't realize that the same guy in the pickup that he wants to vote for him is listening to Rush Limbaugh in the morning, Sean Hannity in the afternoon, the Michael Savage program in the evening and at night he is lulled to sleep by the FOX News Network. Howard Dean is being verbally ground up all day by these conservative talk show hosts and their shows are number one in the South.

Obviously, Dean does not understand why the Democrats are not going to win the South. When reporters asked Tennessee voters why they abandoned Al Gore in 2000, their response was, "He left us a long time ago."

The southern region of the country is by far the most conservative. Al Gore could not even win his home state of Tennessee. Gore lost because he was viewed as too liberal. He supported gun control. He was pro-abortion. Plus, he was inextricably tied to Bill Clinton's scandals. Moreover, the South is still the Bible Belt and religious fervor is strong. A candidate that isn't endorsed by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell may not have a strong chance in the South.

Many political pundits, historians and columnists have discussed why the Democrats cannot win the South. Here are a few clues to why Democrats will have trouble in the South. First, after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, some Democrats left to form the Dixiecrats (i.e. Strom Thurmond), and later they went to the Republican Party. Many of those former Democrats never came back because they resented the fact that the Democratic Party supported civil rights. Despite the fact that all this happened in 1964, there are many who still despise the Democratic Party because of affirmative action, and they believe that Democrats indulge minorities.

Second, the Democratic Party has become a more diverse party that embraces lesbians and gays. This is offensive to many Conservatives and the guy in the pickup who Dean is courting so heavily.

Third, Dean does not support the war in Iraq. Many southerners support the war in Iraq. Additionally, the Democrats have been framed as the anti-gun party. That guy in the pickup truck is not voting for a candidate that wants to control guns.

Fourth, the Republicans have been very successful at characterizing themselves as the party of less government. In view of the fact that the South is notorious for its hatred of the federal government, the less government theme plays very well in Dixie.

Moreover, Democrats have allowed themselves to be demonized and portrayed as anti-American if they did not support the PATRIOT Act or Homeland Security. Democrat Max Cleland, a Vietnam veteran, was excoriated and defeated in Georgia because he voted against Homeland Security.

In the end, the Republicans usually win the white, southern, lower to middle class voters because they appeal to racial prejudice as Jessie Helms did in South Carolina with a photograph of white hands opening an envelope to find he lost a job to a minority. Or they promise not to take down the Confederate flag.

Fundamentalist religion is a big selling point and, of course, opposing gun control. If Democrats are to win the South, they will have to take a page from candidate Bill Clinton's handbook in 1992 and 1996 that reminded all Southerners that the concerns of poor and working class people are all the same regardless of race.

Additionally, they will have to hammer economic themes that are important such as support for education, increased wages and health insurance for the uninsured. These are themes that Clinton drove home. Essentially, they will have to neutralize the symbolism of conservatism.

The question that remains highly doubtful is whether Howard Dean, with his Ivy League background, his support for gay unions and his stance against the war in Iraq, is the man to convince Southerners to make the switch, or he is just whistling Dixie?

Having my say appears every Tuesday. LeNie is a senior in history. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.

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